Many people bring home their new Doberman puppy expecting to have a cuddly, cute, playful puppy. They quickly discover their puppy is a nipping, biting machine. At first, this may seem adorable. However, as your puppy grows older and continues to nip and bite, his behavior may pose a real threat.

As a concerned owner, you may try to stop your puppy from nipping, biting and chewing completely. This is the wrong approach because your puppy needs to bite and chew. This is partly due to how puppies relate to their litter mates and partly due to teething. Chewing and biting relieves some of the discomfort he feels when teething.

Your initial goal should not be to get your puppy to stop biting and chewing but to teach him what he is allowed to bite and chew on. The best way to do this is to redirect your puppy's attention from biting you, other members of the family or other pets. When your puppy bites you, issue a sharp "NO" and immediately stop playing with him while substituting a toy for him to chew on.

This will let him know what he can and cannot bite, and it will also teach him if he wants to play with you and other members of the household he must not bite. Make sure that all members of the household use this technique consistently, or your puppy will become confused and will not learn what not to bite. If your puppy is biting out of a desire to play or a need to teeth, redirect his attention to objects he can bite. This will solve the problem within a few weeks if training is consistent.

While redirecting your puppy from biting make sure you avoid all games that encourage your Doberman to bite. This includes games, like tug of war, chase and wrestling with your puppy. Make sure your puppy has been well exercised before spending time petting him. The physical activity will tire him and make him less likely to get excited and bite.

In some cases Doberman puppy biting may be caused by your dog's need to exert himself as the leader of his pack. If that is the case, this should be viewed as aggressive behavior. You should get professional help and begin alpha dog training to stop this behavior while your puppy is still young and easy to control.

Alpha dog training is special training where you teach your dog you are the pack leader and his place is at the bottom of the pack. Once your Doberman puppy understands his role in your home, he will be more secure. He will no longer feel the need to exert himself by biting.

It's never too late to train your Doberman. But, the younger he is the faster he will learn. By training early you, your dog and your family will feel safe and happy.